The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-02-28

An Ex-COnvict Relates His Experience While
an Inmate of the Southern State Prison.

An Ex-Convict Relates His Experien ce While
an Inmate of the Southern State Prison.
Seymour Republican.
George Bobrink, who sentenced to the
Prison South from this place, for two years for
a very petty crime in January, 1855, but who
only served twenty one months and twenty three
DAYS of the time, the rest being allowed for
good behavior. is chock full of information con-
corning treatment of prisoners in that nsttu-
ton. George is or was. strong Democrat rs.
also, much addicted to drink, but he declares he
will never vote another Democratic ticket
"whie his name is George Bobrink," and, as for
liquor in any form, he simply says: ''No, thank
YOU sir, not another drop of that stuff shall ever
again cross my lips"
George was interviewed this morning, and
lad the following to say:
Question-Was the prison discipline humane
or brutal in its nature, and were the punish
ments out of proportion to the character of the
offense2
Answer-Brutal; and yes. have seen men
punished merely because they lacked a couple
of molds of getting MP their days task, owing to
sickness. They would be taken up to what is
called the cage handcufed through the door in
the erect posture. and deprived of all food ami
drink All punishments are by direction of the
warden. l myself stood eight days and nights
with my arms handcuffed through the door of
this "caee." My offense was that l was sick and
unable TO complete my task, although / only
lacked three mods of completing it, The Doc
tor, as frequently happened was drunk and IN
able to excuse me- l received this punishment
although / had always before done my task
There stood for eight days and nights without
even as much as drop of water my tongue
or morsel of food of any kind. At the expira-
ton of my sentence, on descending to the outer
air of the yard, fell PROSTATE the
ar struck me, and had to be conveyed TO the
hospital
There is little inside history connected with
this task business. 1t is to the prison managers
interest to keep good man as long as possible,
because it is money in his pockets Explanation
of this is simple ! am speaking of the foundry
molding, which is the business followed while
there, but / know what say also relates to the
| entire institution. Every convict is allowed
one months good time for the first year, three
for the second year, six for three years, year
| for four years, etc.
capita for convict labor. For the least offense,
| as stated above, prisoner is yanked up to the
| cell" and there confined described All the
| time he is there is deducted from his good
| time record. and the double crime is committed
| of making the poor fellow serve a corresponding
| " longer sentence, while the warden charges
the State just the same as if he did his task each
day. 1t can easily be seen, then, that the war
| den has On ly to deduct such money from the
| separate account kept with contractors, and ap
| prOprlate 1t to his own use.
| Brutal guards were paid to keep watch over
| convicts and report all failures to do tasks The
| business of these men was to notice the least
| little forbidden movement of poor molder, anC
| report him, whereupon he would be sent to thu
| cell for from to twenty-five days which, al
| before explained, came off of his good time al
lowance, and was As cents per Gay in the peck
| cts of the warden and his co-operators.
| On Sundays got no supper. We were
| marched from church. when such services were
held, to our cells and locked up until morning
| In winter we suffered greatly from cold in on
| cells The bed-cothes were insufficient an or
d1n,sy blanket making two of the kind foun'
| there, each prisoner being supplied with on
such blanket. Many a time have awoke from
| cold and been compelled to walk my cell til
morning to keep from freezing Bedougs ar
AZ thick as ants In the cupboard, but l only en-
countered the festive 'body-lice" twice Whe
slightly sick you are locked up in dirty, filth
cell to await developments. II you are past &c
ing you are consigned to the hospital; II you ar
whipped back to your task. At the hospital 70
are treated fairly well, outside or the tact 'ha
the doctor is drunk all the time =,
Rev. l. F. Cain. nov pastor OF the NJ
Church at Salem. was one or tee preachers
the institution when / was there. nave IT
, oueptly seen him at work among the prisoner
] Getting money to secure them pardons stan
! their trials etc. He also pretended 10 pc 90
tor and have seen him prescribing FOR II
nrisoners although he was IN no sense comp
i tant tn do so and was known not to be phys
clan. He also pretended to be lawyer, al
under this pretext constantly played upon u
eaperness of the convicts and got money out
them for pretended services. know one pc
devil that was serving a nineyear sentence WI
: | ave this REV. Cain 81. 900 to secure nj
nav trial under promise of acquittal. At {
new trial the poor fellow received life sentene
um Iohn Grew and John Curry. all sent up fro
Shoals. each paid Cain money on positive pro-
o 90 af acouittai on the second charge which W
hanging them and for which saoa they fg- We Z
ohiy Thasa men worked like dogs at ext
a ,ins to make the money paid Cain. signing
10 over 10 him as earned
Altogether the place is really as it has De
called hell on earth ca ann send over the re
men 10 d .ln still would not be the one IL
10 wonIa eonsign a dog to live in such vile pia
TUE nrudeut wife always keeps st Jacobs